At last, summertime has arrived in Toronto, with the sun spending the better part of the day high in the sky, the city clutched in its hot embrace. There’s a scent of heated asphalt mixed with sweat, fresh grass and dirty sidewalks. You know the open road is beckoning with a wink …

In other words, it’s time for a convertible. And what better choice than a chocolate brown 2015 Volkswagen Beetle ragtop? This cheerful little buggy is made for meandering down the road, leaving all cares and woes behind. Good thing, too, because traffic was shaping up to be a nightmare, with the PanAm Games mere inches from my doorstep. Every city authority was pleading with the driving public to either leave town, work from home, take transit, walk, or hire a broomstick to get around. Anything, just avoid the highways with their High Vehicle Occupancy (HOV) lanes, which required a driver and two passengers.

Of course, locals responded with usual irreverence. One driver was caught with mannequins posing as passengers in the HOV lanes – naturally, this being Canada, all mannequins had their seat belts done up. Enterprising youngsters posted ads on Kijiji, offering their services as passengers-for-hire. Those of us who couldn’t skip town, well, we drove around in a Beetle convertible. How on earth can anyone feel oppressed in a gleaming brown punch buggy?

Inching along the Gardiner Expressway, the blue sky stretched above me like a heavenly canvas, while sunbeams danced on the Beetle’s shimmery brown dashboard. I sank into the buttery leather, soft as feathers, while a light summer breeze ruffled my hair. Finally, the traffic eased up and we flew down the highway, with gusts of warm air whipping through my hair and whirling around my ankles.

The Beetle was the colour of chocolate ice cream, and just as much fun. It gamely sped along the highway, riding the sweet goodness of every wave of open blacktop. With Sirius satellite bopping out soul tunes, I was in heaven. Every now and then the traffic backed up, and we were mired in truly nasty congestion. But hey, I was in a Beetle convertible.

Surrounded by all that candy creaminess, in a delicious scoop of motoring metal, I was about as happy as a person could be. As I nodded and tapped the wheel in time to the music, onlookers seemed puzzled that I could muster such cheer in the face of stop-and-go traffic. But the only decision I had to make was between Stevie Wonder and the Isley Brothers. The Beetle was an ode to its German engineering, stopping on a dime, deking nicely into open spaces at my slightest touch, tiptoeing when it had to, leaping forward as the gridlock burst and the road spread out. That convertible was my “room without a roof!”

Later, I parked by a yacht club and admired the cocoa Beetle among the soaring masts sprouting from the boats like so many beanstalks. Front and back, its friendly round contours cascaded in synchronicity, with circular headlights nested like contented orbs.

I thought of all the German words I knew for happiness – gemutlichkeit, niedlich, schnukelig, lustig.

But of course, Doreen! I can just picture you in this car, with your huge smile and setting off on another chocolate travel adventure. This one really has your name on it. Really, it even looks like some of the chocolates I’ve seen on your blog : ))

Krystyna, I absolutely love that little car, it does look like so much fun. I wonder how many women are talking to their VW dealers wanting one of those chocolate brown punch buggies? I had to laugh about your comment about ‘this being Canada all mannequins had their seat belts done up’. That is so true eh? We may break the law but are polite while doing it.

Of course in Canada we have to be polite when flaunting the law, so that I guess we don’t get into too much trouble. I totally loved the mannequin story, and wouldn’t have been surprised if there were more. And yes, if I thought I could have gotten away with it in the choco brown Beetle, I would have!

OMG! I love this car and the color! Unless I had seen the pictures, I would never have entertained the idea of a brown car! It looks like a blast and who wouldn’t love a car that you describe as a punch buggy! It’s also very nostalgic. I have so many friends who has VW convertible bugs, including my roommate. Lord, we had fun in that car.

You know, Jacqui, the thought of a brown Beetle couldn’t have been further from my mind but I absolutely love it. There’s something very elegant yet funky and vintage-y about it all. The nostalgia factor is way up there, as well – I can remember many friends with Beetle convertibles, but nothing like this! They’ve really changed, but for the better.

What a beautiful classic car. Beetles were very popular cars in Kenya. In 1959, a silk rally driver drove a VW beetle (with 60,000 miles already on the clock) in the famous East African Safari and finish ninth. Since then Beetles have always been a favourite amongst the Asians as they are such good quality cars.

Isn’t it amazing how Beetles are popular around the entire world? Now that’s quite a rare feat. Thanks for telling me about the Silk Rally driver with a 60,000 mile Beetle who left all those other cars in his dust!

Why, I didn’t know you spoke German, Jeri! Another one of your many talents, I guess : )) And happiness is so under-rated as a car buying element, people get so hung up on other factors. I’ve yet to see a frowning VW Beetle driver!

Girl, you are just adorable standing there next to that convertible in that sassy orange dress! I don’t know any German words, but after owning a VW, I have lots of respect for their engineering. I had a Jetta, but this post brings back all sorts of happy motoring memories for me anyway. Thanks for the smile!

This car is super cute and I love the look of small cars with a sunroof. The sunroof gives such a sense of space. I’m surprised I don’t see more of them in my neck of the woods since everyone loves small cars here. By the way, I love that kids are hiring themselves out as passengers for the HOV lanes. There is bumper to bumper traffic here for about 18 hours out of every day, so I’m flabbergasted that hasn’t caught on here.

It’s great the way these young people latched onto the idea of passengers-for-hire! That’s the entrepreneurial spirit for you. We do have HOV lanes, but further outside of the city, and it’s usually for any car with two people, vs three – which was overkill. From my observations, a LOT of people ignored it, anyways. There are better solutions ie develop more lanes!

I don’t know about the beetle any more. I loved the shape of the original beetle, it made a statement. I remember back in the Flintstone days, owning a beetle meant you were, young, artistic, quirky, fun and you’re life was about to unfold. then the shape changed and I think the beetle lost it’s personality. Although I do LOVE that color, I just wish they’d return to the original curved and rounded design.

Oh, yes, the old Beetle had a different vibe – flower power, hippie days. They were affordable, unique, easy to fix. The first version of the New Beetle is different from this one, which I do think is more faithful to the legacy Beetle silhouette. And the interior is so much nicer, at least from what I can recall …!!!

Patricia, this isn’t your grandfather’s Beetle any more! Although it still holds true to many of the legacy Beetle design elements (basic shape, fun to drive), it’s a much more elegant vehicle. And I loved that gorgeous deep brown colour, contrasted with a cream interior. Yum!

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Krystyna Lagowski drives like a girl

And I’m proud of it. I also write like a girl, about topics that more and more girls are getting involved in. That includes everything automotive, as well as transportation related issues like commuting, urban design, bicycling, pedestrian rights, public transit, and more. Although my approach may be light-hearted and upbeat, I take these topics very seriously, and hope you do as well.

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About Drive Like a Girl

Drive like a girl is a metaphor - it's about digging fearlessly into the many issues around cars and transportation. Join me as I take an irreverent and insightful look at anything and everything related to the car industry, transportation, and beyond.

About Krystyna Lagowski

I'm a Toronto-based freelance writer with a love for all things automotive. But I also bicycle, take transit and walk because that's the reality of today's urban existence. And then, I write about it. I'd love to write for you too - drop me a line at writer@drivelikeagirl.ca